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Undergraduate student, Dulguun Baatarkhuyag, from the��Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering (ECEE) has earned the fall 2024 Perseverance award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

The Perseverance award recognizes undergraduate students who persevere despite adversity – above and beyond the inherent perseverance needed in any engineering major. This honor is awarded to seniors who are nominated by faculty, staff or fellow students for their outstanding contributions and achievements.

Major

Electrical Engineering

Post Graduation Plans

My goals after graduation would be to work in research and development of devices that help us live longer, healthier and happier. We are biological machines gifted with a limited time to experience and appreciate the universe we live in, and unfortunately some of us are unfairly given a much shorter time. I’d like to have a career that tipped the scales in our favor against this injustice.

What are some of your favorite aspects about the ECEE department during your undergraduate career?

My favorite aspect of the ECEE department is being surrounded every day by brilliant people working on potentially groundbreaking projects in high-tech labs. Behind any door in the ECEE wing, researchers might be working on the next big invention that changes how we see the world—whether it’s through better Earth observation satellites, advances in the semiconductor industry or new industries whose potential we haven’t even fully recognized yet.

What about electrical engineering excites you?

What got me into electrical engineering in the first place is that you get to understand the inner machinations of almost every device you come across in this day in age. “This object that we made moves from point A to point B,” but why did it do that? What compelled this inanimate collection of silicon, metals and plastics to just decide to do what we want it to do? And, after years of studying electrical engineering, I can, but not with 100% certainty, explain why it does what it does. It might not be the answer to the ultimate question of life, but it gets pretty close. It helps me appreciate the complexity and elegance of each gadget that humans have invented, as well as respect the engineers who poured their time, energy and soul into these devices.

How did you overcome some of the challenges you faced during your undergraduate journey?

I have spent a considerable amount of time working on myself in terms of mental health. My first instinct was to try to fix the problem from an engineering standpoint, but human brains are unfortunately far more complex than even the most advanced computers. I can research and understand the neurochemical reactions, psychological phenomena and find what’s likely causing the issue, but it’s like trying to fix a car engine as you’re driving it. I’m not a “mechanic” (i.e., a mental health professional) and I am obviously heavily biased because my brain is trying to see what’s wrong with itself and fix it. Sure, you can go on a spiritual journey, introspection, meditation and read all the self-help and philosophy books, but it’s easiest to just talk to a professional and get a second opinion. That’s why I am very thankful to the people who work at Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS). They have been incredibly helpful in helping me navigate my own mind, its blind zones and biases.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not busy with your studies?

I like playing simulator type games. Flight simulators are my favorite, but I also enjoy rally racing simulators. When I feel a little homesick, I like to fly over my hometown and pretend I came by for a visit with my own private plane or helicopter. I enjoy the technical aspect of it too; the engineering that went into the control systems of an airplane, the physics and aerodynamics of an aircraft, the radio communication protocols, safety protocols and emergency procedures. They are all very interesting.

What is your piece of advice for incoming engineering students?

My advice for them would be to have a very broad and general goal in life when starting university. To elaborate, you are a set of particles in a chain reaction that has been going on since the Big Bang, and in a small subset of this existence, you are conscious and get to experience human life. It sounds absurd and you could be just observing this chaos with no clear-cut direction of what you’re supposed to do, which is why I advise you to have a broad and general goal. Not a highly specific XYZ coordinate point, but a unit vector that points towards a general goal. Because a unit vector gives you two important bits of information: one, is that you are the origin, at coordinates (0,0,0) and the other, is that you know where to go from where you are. There will be obstructions in your way and it’s fine. Just go around it or through it, but don’t lose the vector. Maybe you’ve changed your mind and view of the world. Adjust the vector and keep going! Problems pile up when you have a hard-set point as a goal and B-line towards it while feeling bad every moment that you are not where you want to be and feel even worse if you miss the target. With a unit vector, you will always know that you’re going the right way even if life keeps throwing you off-axis.

What is your favorite memory at CU Boulder?

My favorite memory at CU Boulder would be me realizing that I can seriously troubleshoot and fix broken devices that I own using the knowledge I got from the university. “Oh, my computer isn’t booting up with the new CPU I installed.” Every component is compatible, and I didn’t see any mechanical issues so it’s likely software, specifically the BIOS being a problem. And it was! “Oh, the electric motor on my bike isn’t working.” This is probably because the speed sensor fell off and the controller was thinking I'm always moving from a standstill. So, it gave a lot more current and torque to the motor which chewed up the reduction gear inside. I open the motor and the nylon gear is destroyed!

Aside from academia, I’ve made so many great friends, colleagues and mentors at Boulder. We’ve made memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I am incredibly thankful to all of them.